Troxel nabs No. 11 in rescheduled Reading qualifying

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 20 of 23
TOYO TIRES NHRA NATIONALS
Maple Grove Raceway
Mohnton, Pa.
Race Date: Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2006

MOHNTON, Pa. (Sept. 30, 2006) - With only three qualifying sessions
completed because of intermittent rain drops at the rescheduled Toyo Tires
NHRA Nationals, Melanie Troxel and the Skull Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Race
Fuels Top Fuel team did their best to take advantage of the cool and
overcast conditions here at Maple Grove Raceway.

Troxel's best run was the 4.566-second pass at 319.37 mph she set in
Friday's second round, in which the car hazed the tires at the finish line.
That run was good for No. 10 at the time, which followed a 4.587/327.74 in
the first session (No. 6 at the time). A wiggle in her final attempt
resulted in a 4.607/320.51 pass, dropping her one spot, to 11th.

"We're a little disappointed that we lost that last session," explained
Troxel, fourth in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points,
"because we definitely could have used it. We're still not running as well
as we would like.

"The Skull Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels team is kind of at a point that
we are making some drastic changes. Through the summer we thought the hot
weather might have been part of the problem," said Troxel, who led the
standings through the first 12 events of the year. "Now that the weather has
cooled off, we're still not running as well as we were in the beginning of
the year."

Troxel, who is a finalist for the Women's Sports Foundation's Sportswoman of
the Year Award, which will be presented Oct. 16 in New York City, faces
Larry Dixon in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday. "Maybe this
gives us an opportunity to kind of sneak up on the Miller Lite team, and
surprise them tomorrow. We'll go up and take our best shot at it, and see
what happens."